Grandfather and 3 dogs die in Lakeland house fire; 6 family members escape safely

Wednesday

Oct 11, 2017 at 9:10 AMOct 12, 2017 at 4:31 PM

Marilyn Meyer @marilyn_ledger

LAKELAND — Although six other family members, ages 2 to 70, managed to get safely out of their burning home early Wednesday morning, 78-year-old Edward McLaughlin and three dogs did not.

Polk County Fire Rescue workers found McLaughlin's body in a back bedroom of the single-story house at 7445 Green Road in Lakeland.

The fire was called in at 1:22 a.m. Wednesday with a report that one person was trapped inside, said Kevin Watler, PCFR spokesman. When firefighters arrived six minutes later, the fire was fully involved.

Seven minutes later, firefighters made it to the back bedroom and McLaughlin’s body.

An autopsy will be conducted later this week to determine the exact cause of Edward McLaughlin’s death, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office, which is responsible for investigating fire deaths.

The Florida Bureau of Fire and Arson Investigations is looking into the cause of the fire.

According to Polk County Property Appraiser’s records, the 2,560-square-foot masonry house was built in 1983 and had three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

Marilyn Meyer can be reached at marilyn.meyer@theledger.com or 863-802-7558. Follow her on Twitter @marilyn_ledger.